I’m sure that you would agree that age 16 is the absolute greatest time in a person’s life. Don’t you just love that awkward period where you’re not a child anymore, but you’re still not an adult? Where adults, for the most part, do not respect you, you’re constantly being judged by your peers, your emotions are all over the place, and your body has a mind of its own? Then, take all that and add pregnancy to it. I could never imagine what it would be like to go through something like that, which is the reason I have so much respect for you! Not only did you have to deal with the annoyances of being a teenager, but you also had to deal with the annoyances that come with being pregnant. In addition to that, you went through the trouble of adopting the baby out after going through so much to carry it to term. With your pregnancy though, you grew and learned an incredible amount about yourself and the real world, and also gained a caring boyfriend. Because of this, I believe it was the best decision you could have made, in the end. I think it was incredibly brave to give up the baby, and at your age I think it was also the smart decision. I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I found out that I was pregnant at 16, but seeing as how much my body and life would change with having a baby, I think I would have gone with having an abortion, myself. But, then again, no one can understand what a woman, such as yourself, experiences when she makes such a difficult decision. Which is why I am so happy to live in a country that guarantees a person’s constitutional to personal autonomy, especially when it comes to abortion, according to the fourteenth amendment. I believe that a woman has the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies, no matter the circumstances. While I agree with what anyone does with their body, since it is not my place to judge someone on their decisions, there are still some complications to address.
First off, should it really be considered murder to terminate a fetus? No one really knows when a fetus is considered a human; some say at conception, others say at birth, and the rest say somewhere in between. So, if we do not know when the fetus is considered “human”, how can we determine that abortion is the absolute murder of a human being? Furthermore, when a pregnant woman is killed, it is considered a double homicide because of the death of a potential human being in addition to its mother. Does this ruling determine the morality of abortion? For me, personally, I think not. It is true that there is value in the life of a fetus because it is another potential human life, but the woman carrying the fetus also has value in her life. The fetus cannot think for itself and is completely dependent on its mother, but the woman can independently think and make decisions for herself, making the argument that the woman has more value than the unborn fetus, and therefore, has the right to choose what she wants to do with the fetus.
Other complications are the issues surrounding the pregnancy itself. In cases of rape, domestic violence, illness or conditions preventing a safe pregnancy and/or birth, or an illness or condition that will decrease the quality of life for the unborn child, abortion is a viable option. If the couple was irresponsible and did not use protection or birth control, or the woman is not ready—either financially, mentally, et cetera—, or the woman simply does not want a child, abortion is a viable option. It should be the woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy or not, for whatever reasons.
Religion is also a large contributing factor in people’s decision about abortion. Many say that according to their religious scripture, abortion is murder because it takes a potential human life, which is fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just as I am. I feel that using religion as the grounds to make one’s standing on Roe v. Wade—a woman has the constitutional right to privacy to make her own personal medical decisions, like abortion—and make abortion laws state level is irresponsible because of the separation between church and state. The right to choose includes choosing not to have an abortion because of religious beliefs, and this decision should be respected, not enforced. No one should be forced to have a child or not because of what another person thinks is right based on their own moral beliefs, it should be the woman’s choice alone.
Abortion is a right, and whether a woman chooses to exercise that right is up to her. No one will ever truly understand what it was like to go through what you went through, Juno, except you. No one will ever truly understand what it is like to have to carry a baby to term, even when the odds are stacked against you. This is why abortion should continue to be legal according to federal law, because no woman should have to be told that she cannot do wants with her body.
I’m sure that you would agree that age 16 is the absolute greatest time in a person’s life. Don’t you just love that awkward period where you’re not a child anymore, but you’re still not an adult? Where adults, for the most part, do not respect you, you’re constantly being judged by your peers, your emotions are all over the place, and your body has a mind of its own? Then, take all that and add pregnancy to it. I could never imagine what it would be like to go through something like that, which is the reason I have so much respect for you! Not only did you have to deal with the annoyances of being a teenager, but you also had to deal with the annoyances that come with being pregnant. In addition to that, you went through the trouble of adopting the baby out after going through so much to carry it to term. With your pregnancy though, you grew and learned an incredible amount about yourself and the real world, and also gained a caring boyfriend. Because of this, I believe it was the best decision you could have made, in the end. I think it was incredibly brave to give up the baby, and at your age I think it was also the smart decision. I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I found out that I was pregnant at 16, but seeing as how much my body and life would change with having a baby, I think I would have gone with having an abortion, myself. But, then again, no one can understand what a woman, such as yourself, experiences when she makes such a difficult decision. Which is why I am so happy to live in a country that guarantees a person’s constitutional to personal autonomy, especially when it comes to abortion, according to the fourteenth amendment. I believe that a woman has the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies, no matter the circumstances. While I agree with what anyone does with their body, since it is not my place to judge someone on their decisions, there are still some complications to address.
First off, should it really be considered murder to terminate a fetus? No one really knows when a fetus is considered a human; some say at conception, others say at birth, and the rest say somewhere in between. So, if we do not know when the fetus is considered “human”, how can we determine that abortion is the absolute murder of a human being? Furthermore, when a pregnant woman is killed, it is considered a double homicide because of the death of a potential human being in addition to its mother. Does this ruling determine the morality of abortion? For me, personally, I think not. It is true that there is value in the life of a fetus because it is another potential human life, but the woman carrying the fetus also has value in her life. The fetus cannot think for itself and is completely dependent on its mother, but the woman can independently think and make decisions for herself, making the argument that the woman has more value than the unborn fetus, and therefore, has the right to choose what she wants to do with the fetus.
Other complications are the issues surrounding the pregnancy itself. In cases of rape, domestic violence, illness or conditions preventing a safe pregnancy and/or birth, or an illness or condition that will decrease the quality of life for the unborn child, abortion is a viable option. If the couple was irresponsible and did not use protection or birth control, or the woman is not ready—either financially, mentally, et cetera—, or the woman simply does not want a child, abortion is a viable option. It should be the woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy or not, for whatever reasons.
Religion is also a large contributing factor in people’s decision about abortion. Many say that according to their religious scripture, abortion is murder because it takes a potential human life, which is fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just as I am. I feel that using religion as the grounds to make one’s standing on Roe v. Wade—a woman has the constitutional right to privacy to make her own personal medical decisions, like abortion—and make abortion laws state level is irresponsible because of the separation between church and state. The right to choose includes choosing not to have an abortion because of religious beliefs, and this decision should be respected, not enforced. No one should be forced to have a child or not because of what another person thinks is right based on their own moral beliefs, it should be the woman’s choice alone.
Abortion is a right, and whether a woman chooses to exercise that right is up to her. No one will ever truly understand what it was like to go through what you went through, Juno, except you. No one will ever truly understand what it is like to have to carry a baby to term, even when the odds are stacked against you. This is why abortion should continue to be legal according to federal law, because no woman should have to be told that she cannot do wants with her body.